ESPN's goal with 'Inside the NBA' is to keep show close to original format
By Tyler Reed
It came as a shock to everyone when it was announced that TNT's "Inside the NBA" crew would be moving to ESPN for the 2025-26 NBA season.
The team of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal is taking their talents to the "Worldwide Leader", but fans haven't been excited about the move.
Many believe that ESPN's best years are behind them, and there is a large group of the audience that feels the network will ruin one of the best pregame and postgame shows in all of sports.
MORE: ESPN announces plans for 'Inside the NBA' as show moves to home of Mickey Mouse
ESPN's President of Content, Burke Magnus, is letting fans know that the goal, as of this moment, is not to attempt to fix something that isn't broken.
"That is our goal. It will be as close to that as we can possibly get. I understand that standard operating procedure for us for many years has been to get to SportsCenter. There’s going to be 200 or 300 nights or so that we’re still going to do that,” Magnus told Richard Deitsch of The Athletic.
MORE: Bill Simmons predicts ESPN will mess up Inside the NBA
Hesitancy of fans is fair at this moment. ESPN has turned into a network of let's yell at each other with hot takes, and sadly, people are watching it. Inside the NBA has been the power of positivity while on the air. Let's try to keep it that way.
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